To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to reduce the level of sickness absence in the Probation Service in (a) London and (b) the London Borough of Lewisham. (280505)

London Probation has put in place a number of measures to tackle the levels of sickness in the whole area as well as in Lewisham and Greenwich. These include pro-active measures such as close monitoring by managers and return to work interviews, as well as a range of preventative measures such as health screens and stress management.